The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is an American five-cent piece which was produced in extremely limited quantities without the authority of the United States Mint, making it one of the best-known and most coveted rarities in American numismatics. In 1972, one specimen of the five cent coin became the first coin to command a price of US$100,000; in 1996, another specimen became the first to break the million-US$ barrier. It is also rumored that if one were to be found in perfect condition, it could be worth over 20 million dollars. In 2003 one coin was sold for almost US$3 million. In 2010, the Olsen piece sold for US$ 3.7 million at a public auction. Only five examples are known to exist: two in museums and three in private collections.
Read more about 1913 Liberty Head Nickel: Origin, Pedigree, Eliasberg Specimen, Olsen Specimen, Norweb Specimen, Walton Specimen, McDermott Specimen, Books
Famous quotes containing the words liberty, head and/or nickel:
“With liberty and pleasant weather, the simplest occupation, any unquestioned country mode of life which detains us in the open air, is alluring. The man who picks peas steadily for a living is more than respectable, he is even envied by his shop-worn neighbors. We are as happy as the birds when our Good Genius permits us to pursue any outdoor work, without a sense of dissipation.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Behind the steering wheel
The boy took out his own forehead.
His girlfriend’s head was a green bag
Of narcissus stems. “OK you win
But meet me anyway at Cohen’s Drug Store
In 22 minutes.””
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“Castro couldn’t even go to the bathroom unless the Soviet Union put the nickel in the toilet.”
—Richard M. Nixon (1913–1995)